New Voices

To get to the Studio Stage at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, we are led through and then out of the red-gold grandeur of the main auditorium. An endearingly unglamorous corridor takes us directly backstage, where we take our tiered seats to find ourselves staring at the dull metallic side of the safety curtain, not the view that most theatregoers are used to. So despite the ushers, the rustle of programmes and buzz of pre-show conversation, there’s still a slight shift in perspective. There’s an intriguing sense of having been given an insider’s sneak peek, let in behind the scenes – and in a way, we do have that privilege. Scottish Ballet presents New Voices as part of its Dance Odysseys, with promising offerings from five emerging choreographers who are already making their mark on the contemporary dance scene.

Still it Remains, James Cousins’s absorbing and accomplished piece for a quartet of female dancers offers a hypnotic opening to the showcase. The four shadowy figures engage in an ambiguous, almost ritualistic routine and whilst Rahman Asadollahi’s score suggests these women are forceful, resolute – the word ‘Amazonian’ comes to mind – it’s still unclear, are they priestesses, worshippers, slaves? Furthermore, it seems this performance isn’t just for us, because their eyes are constantly fixed on something the audience can’t see, their entranced expressions somehow betraying both longing and fear. Yet despite the palpable tension in the dancers’ bodies, the unquestionable precision of each motion, there is also a languid sensuality that suggests desire, pleasurable compliance.  As if called upon by some irresistible force, the dancers rise, one by one, to perform solos of frenzied elegance… but ecstasy soon turns to horror, as if the invisible spectator can never be satisfied.

Such strange interplays between vulnerability and passion continue to resonate in what, for me, remained the highlight of the showcase: Helen Pickett’s The Room. Here, we encounter what at first seems like recognisable domestic scenario – two men at odds with each other (Remi Andreoni and Victor Zarallo) in a sparse room, furnished with an angular white sofa.  It’s when they are joined by two women, (beautifully expressive Sophie Martin and the feisty Bethany Kingsley-Garner) a rather more sordid story comes to light. There’s a uniquely discernible narrative thread (and a touch of the highly theatrical) in this snapshot of an erotic and destructive menage-a-quatre. The two couples embrace and entangle indiscriminately, circling each other like caged animals – but one male figure (Andreoni) seems to be the ringmaster, somewhere between a voyeur and sadist, throwing them back into the square of light when they try to escape. Lifts, leaps and falls reveal jealousy, tenderness and violence. Gorgeous subtleties – a cheek momentarily leant against a shoulder, a hand lingering a second longer than necessary on a thigh – strike us with surprising force. As the music swells oppressively, the couples move competitively, desperately, towards a state of undress, arousal mixing with distress – Zarallo in particular creates a compellingly tormented character, torn irreconcilably between desire and disgust. Though Pickett’s favouring of disparate, simultaneous routines for each performer can be a strain to watch, there is something persistent and haunting about The Room’s unrestrained portrayal of a sexuality that is more coercive than liberating.

It is somewhat disappointing then, that the latter pieces in the showcase have a little less to offer. Henri Oguike’s In this Storm, with its moments of jazz-like spontaneity, creates an assured and sometimes surprising power play between the trio of performers, but it fails to really engage emotionally. Set to a rousing drum beat, Martin Lawrance’s Dark Full Ride appears promising but like Storm, soon shows itself to be strangely detached – though phenomenal, the choreography becomes a show of skill that seems, ultimately, a little shallow. After another mystery tour through the building, we find Foibles – a refreshingly whimsical piece performed by Scottish Dance Theatre member that meanders a little aimlessly, positioning itself uncertainly between comedy and drama. All in all, though a little uneven, New Voices is still a worthy endeavour – a chance to see some refreshing and innovative work that, despite some flaws, shows great promise.

New Voices is playing at the Festival Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Festival until 19 August. For more information and tickets, please see the Edinburgh International Festival Website. Photo by Andy Ross.